SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET: 

FIRST RESPONSE – FROM AFP:  Washington (AFP) - The United States will launch a "massive military response" to threats from North Korea, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said Sunday.  He spoke after President Donald Trump met with his national security advisers following a test of what Pyongyang said was a hydrogen bomb able to fit atop a missile.  "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming," Mattis said.  He added: "Kim Jong-Un should take heed of the United Nations Security Council's unified voice. All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses and remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.  Okay, good tough talk.  Now we have to follow up with significant action, short of war.  And that includes the ring of steel around North Korea that I mentioned this morning.  Can't just go back to more "negotiations."

MAJOR NEWS, EARTH-SHAKING – FROM THE HILL:  First lady Melania Trump wore stilettos for her departure Saturday to Texas to meet with victims of Hurricane Harvey, after facing criticism for wearing similar shoes on a trip earlier this week.  The first lady wore a tan rain coat with the high heels as she boarded Marine One with President Trump on their way to Houston to meet with storm victims and volunteers.  When Air Force One landed, Melania Trump exited wearing jeans, a blue shirt and sneakers as well as a hat with "Texas" on it.  I don't know how I could have lived without this information.  Thank you, mainstream media.  You truly are a credit to the First Amendment.

MAJOR HACKING – FROM PJ MEDIA:  Unknown hackers may have dropped private and sensitive information on several members of President Trump's inner circle onto an open source forum called Hastebin. While the exact time stamp has been masked, the information contains personal phone numbers, email addresses, parking tickets, moving violations, the names of people related to them, and even Amazon Wish Lists. (Disturbingly, obtaining someone's Wish List on Amazon is as easy as having the email address he uses to sign into his account. Are Amazon customers aware that their wish lists are open to anyone who knows their email address?)  You'd think our government could seal off those around the president.  I'm not sure we're up to speed on cyber-security.  An enormous vulnerability for the country. 

September 3, 2017